Cell

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Campbell Scott

Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

'Civilization slipped into its second dark age on an unsurprising track of blood but with a speed that could not have been foreseen by even the most pessimistic futurist. By Halloween, every major city from New York to Moscow stank to the empty heavens and the world as it had been was a memory.'

The event became known as The Pulse. The virus was carried by every cell phone operating within the entire world. Within hours, those receiving calls would become insane, or die.

In Boston, a young artist, Clayton Riddell, flees the explosive heart of the city. Clay's son has a little red cell phone. Often out of juice. But what if this time the battery is full? Clay has to reach his son, before his son reaches for his phone....

Who doesn't have a cell phone? This utterly gripping, gory, and fascinating novel doesn't ask the question 'Can you hear me now?' It answers it with a vengeance. High concept, ingenious, and terrifying: Cell is the perfect nightmare for a whole new generation of Stephen King listeners.

©2006 Stephen King. All rights reserved. (P)2006 Simon & Schuster Inc.

Critic reviews

"King's imagining of what is more or less post-Armageddon Boston is rich, and the sociological asides made by his characters along the way...are jaunty and witty." (Publishers Weekly)

A Novel Concept for a Novel!

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I was happy enough overall with the time spent listening to this story. This is an interesting take on what is really still a new and evolving technology.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

For me, I would have liked to hear more of a why angle to the story. Who did what and for what hoped outcome. I would also have liked to have made the finish a little more final, that is unless this is to be a series of books.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator didn't really give each of the characters their own 'voices'. It may be that the producer or the author wanted to keep the vocalisation as it is to more match the plot and the occurances. I would be interested to hear this same story read by John Slattery who did such a fantastic job of Duma Key.

Could you see Cell being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

This could be made a movie but not so much as a series. I would like to see Colin Cunningham as the lead for this one. He plays a great role in Falling Skys and for my money, I think he would fit well as Clay Riddel but this is now moot as John Cusak is to play this part in an upcoming Movie. A search on the net will get you all that detail, but you may want to be careful before you go listening to any audio clips from the movie!!

Any additional comments?

This isn't King's best story, however it is worth listening to. That of course is my opinion of the story and the performace of Cambell Scott as heard from Audible. If you like unique stories and you have a taste for the thriller/horror and even some drama, have a listen to this one. I am going to listen to it again and some books I have listened to, I delete outright. Hope this helps in your choice of listening selections!
Cheers,
Graham.

Not typical of Stephen King but a GREAT read!Inter

If you could sum up Cell in three words, what would they be?

A very interesting story that we should all be able to relate to. I mean, who doesn't have a Cell / Mobile phone these days?

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked all the characters in the novel

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, the effect that the Cell Phones had on the population and how realistic it could be.

Any additional comments?

An excellent book. Give it a try, you won't regret it.

Good story line

I really enjoyed the story, although a bit graphic and blood thirsty at times. Dissapointed with the end, though. Looked at my I-pod to see why the story ended without a proper conclusion. As though the author lost interest, and just stopped writing. Pitty about this, as this was most enjoyable.

Excellent

What did you love best about Cell?

I enjoyed the concept of cell phones being the catalyst to an apocalyptic new world. I also enjoyed the development of the relationships between the survivors and the extreme steps they were willing to take for each other.

What did you like best about this story?

I actually enjoyed the ending, there is just enough to give closure while leaving it open to your own imagination to decide the next chapter for the character. I think this is fairly typical King.

What does Campbell Scott bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I think Campbell Scott did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life and giving you an emotional connection to them. I thought his narration was spot on, not overly dramatic and quite calming to listen to.

Any additional comments?

I quite enjoyed is audiobook, both the story and the narration. I'd certainly purchase more books by both of them, it was a great use of a credit.

Pure King

Being new to audible I went with an author i knew. I was not dissapointed at all, from beginging to end it was hard to press the stop button. It was rather graphic and the voice talent of Campbell made the story come alive. Some have said negative things about the ending but in pure King style you are left wondering at the end as to what happens. I like this as the author is in fact saying to you, you make up the end as you see appropriate.

Excellent Listen

Never been a Steven King fan but have always loved a post apocalypse story. My family (partner + 2 teenagers) and I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook on a long car trip. The narration perfectly matched the characters and the story. In fact I enjoyed it all so much I listened to it again.

One warning: The first part of the book is very violent. So much so that on first listen we turned to another audiobook. Didn't enjoy that one so we returned to Cell. Got past the initial violence (which is actually essential to the story) and got into the plot and characters.

Interesting and Engaging

This is the first Stephen King book I have listened to and I found it very engaging and enjoyable. I have a soft in my heart for apocalyptic story lines and Cell delivers on this score.

I had previously read Stephen King's 'The Stand' in hardcover and was initially worried that like that title the book would take a long time to recount backstory. This was not true of 'Cell' at all and the action starts within a few pages. Nice short chapters means the story keeps a frenetic pace.

My only criticism of the book is the sudden and somewhat inconclusive end.

The narration and character voices by Campbell Scott is uniformly excellent and I will keep an eye out for other titles he has narrated.

Well worth it!

What other book might you compare Cell to and why?

Cell is in the Genre of Zombie books and Post Apocaliptic. What would happen if everyone that was on a cell phone right now just went crazy?

What aspect of Campbell Scott???s performance would you have changed?

I found it a little hard to get used to the tone of his voice initially but once I had settled into that he was able to portray the characters with consistancy and humanity. I enjoyed listening.

Any additional comments?

King has entered into this subject before in his book 'The Stand' which was a personal favourite of mine so I wasn't sure how this would stand up (pardon the pun) but it is a completly new angle and was great to listen to with modern eyes in a society of relience on Cell Phones. Again King's insight into the human mind is what make his books always enjoyable to read/listen to.

Good Story Bad Narration

This is a good story from Stephen King, but I am really struggling with the monotone and boring narration of Campbell Scott, in fact I would not buy and audio book he has narrated from now on. He spoils a good tale.